humiliated
UK[hjuːˈmɪl.i.eɪ.tɪd]US[hjuːˈmɪl.i.eɪ.t̬ɪd]
adj
feeling ashamed and foolish because you have been made to look weak, stupid, or less important in front of others.
verb (past tense and past participle of humiliate)
to make someone feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and self-respect.
Morpheme Breakdown
humili
ate
ed
humili
low, ground
ate
verb suffix
ed
adjective/participle suffix
Etymology
the word 'humiliated' originates from the latin adjective 'humilis', meaning low or on the ground, which itself derives from 'humus', meaning earth or soil. this connection to the ground metaphorically evolved to signify lowness in status, rank, or spirit. the addition of the verb suffix '-ate' created 'humiliate', meaning to lower someone in dignity, and the participle ending '-ed' forms an adjective describing the state of having been brought low. thus, the literal sense of being pressed to the earth underlies the modern feeling of deep shame and loss of pride.
Analysis
Structure: humili (low, ground) + ate (verb suffix) + ed (adjective/participle suffix)
humili is from latin 'humilis', meaning low, lowly, on the ground. ate is a verb-forming suffix from latin '-atus'. ed is an english suffix forming past participles and adjectives.
Examples
she felt deeply humiliated by his public criticism.
the team was humiliated in their worst defeat of the season.
his humiliated expression showed how much the insult had hurt him.